Nearby relief
A. Question
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Is there nearby thermal relief in a stream where trout can go as a summer day heats up?
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In particular, can colder temperature be expected where the water is deeper, has faster flow, or is shaded?
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Results of limited testing are shown in the plot below and described in the text that follows.
B. Testing
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Two sensors were installed in the main stem at 9079 ft at unshaded riffles and at a nearby shaded cutbank.
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The cutbank sensor was 14 inches deeper, at the river bottom.
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Water temperatures were measured continuously at 30-minute intervals over 49 days in July-August 2017.
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Water temperatures at the riffles and at the cutbank were found to be the same.
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This is shown in the plot below.
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Also, using a hand-held sensor, temperatures were measured where depth, flow , and shading differed.
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This was conducted at Priest, Tenderfoot, and Ryman.
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Measurements were roughly 200-400 yards upstream from the tributary's outfall at the main stem.
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The measurement section at each tributary was approximately 100 ft in length.
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Stream depths were 4-18 inches in those sections.
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Measurements were made on August 29 and 31, 2018.
C. Conclusion
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Water temperatures were found to be the same across the variety of conditions in the test sections.
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Based on this limited investigation, it appears that no nearby thermal relief is available for trout.
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The water likely is too well mixed for localized colder temperatures to occur.
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If there is colder water further away, such as upstream, will trout move to it temporarily for relief?